The Mysterious Stranger
by PompeyMagnus
Summary: Final Chapter up! COMPLETE! The Fifth Child braces against his first Angel battle and the unfamiliarity of his new home. My shot at a real SI fic. Read it and review!
1. Strange Land

"Woah!" you may say, "Is that the Evincar?"

And I might say, "Screw off you dirty little bugger!"

But probably not…

The point is…This is The Evincar with a new fanfic, a self-insert to be precise.

You see, I like trying out different genres of fanfiction and such that I've never tried before…

Like a self-insert…or a one-shot (Hint hint)

Now LISTEN HERE!

I was going to make this a one-shot, but I realized that I was way too lazy for that and that it would take about three chapters to finish this story.

Of course, there are some areas I'll never go to, like the eternally retarded Fire/Ice, or WAFFy romance…Sorry, I'm just not capable of clichéd WAFF, any romance you find in my fics is usually laden with good old angst and conflict and misery. 

Now I'm trying to make a good self-insert, which is impossible, or not, I'm not really trying to make a good one, just make one in general.

I'm taking a few liberties here:

1.) I'm actually learning Japanese, and have been for a year, but for the purposes of this story, I'm fluent. How else am I supposed to communicate?

And…well, not much else, except messing with my background a wee bit to make me an Eva pilot. That's all.

This takes place, by the way, before Kaworu Nagisa, and after the attack of Bardiel, the 13th Angel. So I'm the Fifth Child, if Kaworu exists in this stupid three-shot alternate universe or not doesn't matter, but he'd be the Sixth Child.

Well, let's get this three-shot show a'goin'!

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or its characters. Gainax does, and they rock. Who else could create both Evangelion and FLCL!

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Misato's Apartment**

Shinji Ikari sighed as he heard the familiar droning voice of Asuka Langley Sohryu, demanding her usual breakfast.

He was quite tired of her and her tirades, but there wasn't really so much he could do about it, he almost felt like he cared for her in an odd way.

"Alright, _Mistress_."

Asuka suddenly stopped, peering at him.

"What'd you say, Third Child? Did I detect sarcasm, you little-"

Suddenly Misato Katsuragi's voice wafted into the room, interrupting the Second Child before she could go any farther.

"Hey, are you two ready to go yet?"

"Aww, what the heck are you talking about Misato, drink too much yesterday? Today's Saturday, no school!"

Shinji looked on nervously, quite confused.

Misato smiled as she entered the room, already dressed in her full uniform, looking quite formal and correct.

"Didn't I tell you guys? The Fifth Child arrives today, from America!"

"Fifth Child!"

Shinji looked down, whispering to himself.

"More…pilots…More pilots, why do we need more? More children to die…Like…Like Touji."

"Why do we need a Fifth Child, Misato! I alone am enough for this whole city, and you know it! And besides, what Evangelion is he going to use?"

"For your information he's coming with his own Eva Unit, Unit 05, freshly made in California."

Asuka grumbled, turning away.

"Now I've got to deal with another idiot boy who thinks he's invincible, I bet…At least he's not living with us though."

Misato seemed to sweat for a few minutes and Asuka noticed it, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't mean that? No! Dammit! What is this, a daycare place or something! I'm going to be surrounded by little perverted boys!"

The Second Child's angry screaming could be heard for miles and miles that day, as Shinji cowered and Misato grumbled.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, Commander's Office**

Gendo Ikari sat solemnly, his hands folded in front of his face, staring off from behind his orange-tinted lens.

"Hmm."

Kouzou, his Sub-Commander stood beside him, a solemn pillar that occasionally talked.

"Gendo…"

"What is it?"

"Are you sure bringing in a new pilot is wise? Do we really require one?"

"Perhaps…You do realize the Second Child's potential for failure, and we cannot rely on only three pilots in this day and age."

"Perhaps indeed, but the American branch seemed quite irate we needed another Evangelion after the last incident…"

"No matter."

"But what if the angel that contaminated the Fourth Child's Eva is-"

Gendo turned away, his face cold.

"We must accept the possibilities of danger when attempting such endeavors. The Fifth Child and Evangelion Unit 05 will be delivered in our hands, safely."

* * *

**Aircraft Carrier off the coast of Tokyo 3**

Sailors and soldiers paced about the gray deck of the ship, although there wasn't much room on the huge carrier.

Strapped to the carrier was an enormous black mass, hidden under a huge brown blanket.

Captain Kiriyama grumbled as he surveyed his ship.

"Damn NERV precedence…The last time they tried this 1/3 of the combined UN fleet was destroyed! They have no respect for the navy, bastards…"

He turned to one of the technicians working on the ship, shaking his head.

"I don't get it, why do we have to do this, huh? Transport a kid and a giant piece of crap robot thing…Goddamn it…"

Suddenly the door opened in the control room, and three figures entered from the shadows, two tall men dressed in black suits, evidently Section II, and a boy with earbuds in his ears, paying no attention to his surroundings, wearing dark sunglasses.

The captain raised an eyebrow, evidently enraged at the men entering his control room without permission.

"What is the meaning of this!"

One of the guards stepped forward, ignoring the captain's anger.

"Sir, this is Pilot Sanbud Tehrani, the Fifth Child, and we have received orders to commandeer one of the helicopters on this ship and send him directly to Tokyo 3, we are already late as it is."

"Hey, wait, no! You have no righ-"

"Thank you sir."

And with that the three figures exited, before the bushy-mustachioed captain could respond.

"Wait! Wha! Damn it!"

The captain crumbled against a computer, slamming his fist against it.

"Damn them…they're worst than pirates…Yaarrrr…"

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, NERV Helipad**

Asuka yawned as she, Shinji, and Misato made their way onto the helipad and looked around.

"Huh? The idiot isn't even here yet? What the heck? I bet he's a lazy bum."

Misato sighed.

"The helicopter is probably late. We can wait right here, he'll probably be in about five minutes."

"Incorrect."

Misato, Asuka and Shinji both simultaneously jumped up in the air, utterly startled as they heard Rei's voice, having not noticed at all that she was only a few feet away from them.

Asuka glared at the blue-haired girl.

"What? You're here too? What're you doing here?"

"To assess the pilot and return the data to Commander Ikari."

Shinji looked down, images of his father flooding in his mind.

Asuka, meanwhile, simply scoffed.

"Just like I thought, you're just a doll."

Rei remained silent.

* * *

**Helicopter over Tokyo 3**

The boy sat in the helicopter, brushing his black bangs away, and returned to his book.

It was an old yellowed-over book, obviously from before Third Impact, and he stared at it, silently reading the title.

_The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy_

The book seemed to have been ready many times, as it was worn and dirty, although that may have simply been because of it's age.

_I wonder what the other pilots are like…both Japanese, I remember hearing that one was a girl…Argh, Asian girls scare me, maybe it's because I like them, but they seem so damn androgynous and freaky._

He slowly looked at his small briefcase, which was all he had really packed, and then fished into his black jacket, pulling out a lighter.

He stared at it and flicked it on, staring at the flame and looking for something to burn.

_Fire…doesn't get better than that._

Pilot Tehrani put away his inane thoughts and Neanderthalesque flame obsession as his mind stopped it's rambling and looked down as the helicopter began to slow and lower in altitude.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, NERV Helipad**

Misato yawned and stretched, lying there on the helipad as she heard the familiar sounds of a helicopter's blades approaching closer and closer.

She quickly sprang up and dashed over to wake up Shinji and Asuka, who were groaning and growling and making queer noises in their sleep as always, probably the result of some odd horrible Freudian dreams involving heavy symbolism and dead mothers.

Rei of course was awake, having stood there patiently on the helipad for a few hours, her crimson eyes ever focused on helicopter as it landed.

The door slowly opened and two Section II guards stepped out, saluting Misato, who saluted back.

Then, all eyes were on the door, all eyes expectant, wondering, confused.

_Peh…another idiot like Shinji, I bet…_

_Another pilot…so soon after Touji._

_I wonder what this pilot's going to be like? Damn I have to make more room in my apartment, hope he packed light._

_This pilot should prove to be satisfactory like Commander Ikari said._

All these thoughts and more were addressed as the door opened once more and the Fifth Child stepped out.

He stepped out and peered around, struggling to hold onto a notebook and a novel in one hand while keeping his dark sunglasses on his face and holding a large black briefcase.

At first glance he looked about Shinji's height and build, but not exactly skinny or fat. He had a shock of messy black hair and thick eyebrows above deep brown eyes, and indeed he seemed hairy or at least compared to the Japanese. He could be considered handsome, although he seemed to be scowling, which made him look odd.

The Fifth Child stepped out, peering at the people around him without a word, and then stepped forward to Misato, the closest one to him, and offered his hand.

"Hi."

She put on a friendly smile and accepted his hand, shaking it.

"Sanbud, I presume? The Fifth Child, welcome to Tokyo 3…Hope you enjoy your time here."

She turned, indicating Shinji who was standing there emotionless, and Asuka, who was scowling to match the Fifth Child's expert level scowl.

"Those two are you fellow pilots, Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child, and Shinji Ikari, the First Child."

The Fifth Child stepped forward, offering his hand first to Shinji, who took it, shaking it.

"Ah, Shinji Ikari, I've heard some things about you. Good to meet you, comrade."

And then he turned to Asuka, offering his hand.

"And Asuka Sohryu, greetings, comradess."

Suddenly in the back of Sanbud's mind he realized that "comradess" was just a word he had made up right there, and that he was deftly annoyed by Asuka Langley Sohryu. In fact he already felt he could hate everyone on the platform quite easily.

As if responding to Sanbud's thoughts, Asuka gripped his hand, smirking as she attempted to crush it. After all, the Second Child was extremely strong and adept in martial arts.

Sanbud maintained his smile and Asuka maintained her smirk as their hands deftly battled each other, unbeknownst to the others.

_Ow…damn…sadist…chick…This is just like that movie I saw where the Asian chick sticks pins in that guy's eyes…augh._

The Fifth Child quickly broke off the handshake and turned away as Misato diverted his attention to the remaining girl on the platform, Rei Ayanami.

"And she's the First Child."

_Oooh…pretty, although the whole blue-hair thing is just freaking me out…well, who cares, I can just get her to dye her hair when I conquer her soul._

Sanbud gave his best patronizing smirk as he offered his hand to Rei, speaking as he would to a little girl.

"Why hello there, I'm Sanbud Tehrani, the Fifth Child, you must be the First Child. Great to meet you."

Rei Ayanami simply nodded, and then promptly turned away, leaving the Fifth Child alone with his hand awkwardly pointed out.

"Right…"

"Rei's always sort of like that, Sanbud, you should get used to it."

"Yeah…Just a damn doll…"

Turning away from them, the Fifth Child spotted something in the distance and smirked, hiding it when he returned to face them.

"Well, I've introduced myself. Sanbud Tehrani, the Fifth Child, training in NERV-01 in Massuchsets. And this…"

He pointed behind him as four huge VTOLs approaching towing a huge object towards the base.

"That is my Evangelion Unit 05."

Shinji looked up and gasped as the Evangelion passed overhead.

It was almost pure black except for a gray upperbody, and looked quite similar to Evangelion Unit 03, except it had no horn, and it had two blood-red squinting eyes that seemed to stare down at them all, as if condemning them.

Shinji turned away, away from the people around him, thinking of the last pilot who had come, and what had happened to him.

_All…my fault._

_

* * *

_

Now keep in mind this, all self-insert fanfics suck by rule. Because it's basically impossible to think, "Okay, I'm going to realistically put myself in the fic, in the world of Evangelion, and try to keep my personality intact and not be totally retarded like 99.9 of self-insert fics", it's hard to make this genre of fanfiction not crappy…And I bet it's even harder for Fire-Ice writers, poor deluded Japanophiles who use annoying smilies…

Well, later until next chapter, that was it. 

Now get out there and read my major fanfics, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Madness, End of Evangelion: Darkness, Shinji's Stronghold, and Fate of Destruction!


	2. Strange Style

Well, hope you liked Chapter One…It might have been a bit short, and a bit boring, but who cares, at least I didn't have myself go all super saiyan and then have Asuka fall in love with me, and then conquer the damn world like all other SIs seem to do…bleah.

Well, one review so far, but we're just getting started. Thanks lordmaquareion..ehhehe. But to respond to one thing in your review, I'm definitely not an anti-R/S fan at all...I like Rei a lot, she's a great character. 

Perhaps most of my fanfics give her the short straw, but it's not really intention, she's just an extremely difficult character to right for (Which is another reason why it may seem I don't like R/S, it's just that it seems that 90 of the R/S fanfics here suck...

True there's a ton of crappy A/S fics too, but there are so many that you're bound to find a lot of good ones. There just aren't as many R/S fics.)...I swear one day I'll make a straight up R/S romance, or maybe not; I'm not so good at romantic fics really...

Maybe I just like the fact that A/S usually has more conflict….Asuka is far more disagreeable and annoying, which makes the romance more interesting...eheheh.

In other news. Maybe I shouldn't say this is a three-shot fanfic. It probably will be, and I don't like SI enough to make it an epic, but I don't like limiting myself, what if I have to make it a four chapter fic?

Well, let's get it started.

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or its characters. Gainax does, and they rock. Who else could create both Evangelion and FLCL!

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Misato's Apartment**

The Fifth Child yawned as he leaned up against the couch, feeling uncomfortable in someone else's apartment.

He'd gotten the empty room next to Shinji, for which he was glad, since the other boy seemed quiet and collected, compared to the growing ball of hormones and terror that he now recognized as Asuka.

_Argh…Crazy Germans, she's so bloody bossy…Germans always seem like that, but when you get them drunk they sing cheesy songs and fascist stomp around…I better be careful._

He'd been disappointed when he'd learned that Rei had different quarters however. The girl seemed like the epitome of Japanese beauty he'd heard of, fair skin, quiet and most probably obedient.

_Except for the freakish red eyes and blue hair…Maybe she's going for some weird punk look or something? Can't blame her for trying to be unique._

He picked up the novel he had brought along and leafed to the last page, reading his favorite passage from it to himself, as he did with all the other hundreds of random novels he had left at his house in America.

"Michael Henchard's Will

That Elizabeth-Jane Farfrae be not told of my death, or

Made to grieve on account of me.

& that I be not bury'd in consecrated ground.

& that no sexton be asked to toll the bell.

& that nobody is wished to see my dead body.

& that no mourners walk behind me at my funeral.

& that no flours be planted on my grave.

& that no man remember me.

To this I put my name.

-Michael Henchard."

The Fifth Child put the book down with a sigh and looked around the room around him a bit.

He peered down at his notepad and scrawled a few more notes in his horribly garbled handwriting, looking around at the room around him, closely, the walls, the windows, the television, the furniture, the annoyed face of Asuka Langley Sohryu looking at you.

"Hey, Fifth Child, what are you doing?"

"Not much Second Child", responded Sanbud, not too offended by Asuka calling him by such a formal name.

_It's like we're secret agents with codenames and stuff, awesome! Hey Second Child, the winter in Siberia is quite cold…Do you have the package? Good, now shove it up your ass! Goddamn KGB…_

"Not much? Then what the heck are you writing down? Hey? Hey, are you listening to me?"

Sanbud nodded, staring at Asuka, although his right hand was continuously scribbling on the notepad while he wasn't looking.

"Let me see that!"

Asuka quickly snatched the notepad away, causing Sanbud to genuinely jump up in fear, scrambling for it, although she kept it away quite agilely.

Eventually he sat down, figuring that she wouldn't be able to decipher his horrible handwriting anyway.

She stared at it, confused, slowly repeating it to herself as she struggled to read.

"Red…pilot…blue…Ikar…lion…hate…What in the hell is this? Why is your handwriting so bad."

"Uh I don't know…Oh hey Shinji."

The Fifth Child waved at Shinji as the boy slumped in, his face down and depressed.

"Hi."

Asuka continued reading the notepad, or attempting to, while the Fifth Child snuck around her, trying to steal it back.

"parents…poem…dog…the truth is…What the hell is this jibberish?"

Sanbud snatched it away, stumbling back with a grin.

"I'm a novelist alright? I'm a writer; I take notes on my surroundings and any…uh…interesting things in my life."

"You idiot, you better not be writing perverted things about me or taking notes about me, dammit!"

"Riiiiight…well…"

Sanbud reached out and pulled a small, shiny object out of his breast pocket, pressing a button, a voice issuing from it, "…perverted things about me…", the sound of tape rewinding and then, "Oh hey Shinji.".

"What!"

"So no recording either?"

Asuka reached for it, fully intending to crush it, but Sanbud pulled it away just in time, sticking it back in his pocket and raising his hands in the gesture of surrender.

"Hey, hey, I surrender, I surrender, isn't there freedom of press here, Sohryu."

_Reich Commander Sohryu…ehehhee._

Asuka raised an eyebrow, and then frowned, peering at Shinji who was meekly setting up the table. He noticed Asuka's glance and returned it, a sad look on his face.

Sanbud sighed, noticing a solid line of teen angst between the two pilots, and tried to change the subject.

"So, I'm just writing about my experiences, my life, maybe adding a bit more intrigue, and it's shaping up to be a great novel really…Just taking notes on family, friends, my parents for example, who I can't say I really miss, I don't know why…"

He paused to see if anyone would talk, but Asuka just frowned and Shinji just looked up and then went back to his kitchen duties.

"So…Do you guys miss your parents?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on Sanbud, and he chuckled nervously.

"Eh, comrades?"

* * *

**Ten minutes Later**

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Misato's Apartment**

Misato Katsuragi strolled through the door, groceries in hand as she peered around the room and walked into the kitchen.

_Ugh, he seems like a nice guy overall, I guess, but cooking for three is hard enough, now we've reached our breaking point, four…And I have no idea how this is going to affect Asuka and Shinji's little battles…Where does he fit in? Hopefully nowhere._

Suddenly she noticed The Fifth Child, sprawled on the couch with a fresh, red mark of a hand imprinted in his left cheek and the Third Child curled up in a fetal position on the ground, drowning in a pool of his own tears.

Pilot Tehrani noticed her and shook his head.

"Don't ask…"

"Yeah…"

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, Control Room**

Ritsuko Akagi and Misato Katsuragi looked on at the screens strewn all around, four large ones were in the center; each one video feed of each pilot in their individual Evangelion.

Asuka Langley Sohryu sat with an annoyed scowl which seemed to be peering through at the whole control room.

"Are we almost done with this stupid testing yet? It's so annoying…"

Ritsuko sighed.

"Soon enough, soon enough."

Meanwhile the other three pilots were mostly silent.

Shinji Ikari sat with his eyes closed his face listless.

_He seems nice…but so soon after the last incident…I can't let anyone around me die anymore, I have to defend them, I realize that now…_

Rei Ayanami sat in her entry plug, her eyes open, her face equally listless, staring at the control room without any defining emotion on her face. But her thoughts were different.

_What is the significance of this new pilot…Commander Ikari would like to know his 'mental state', however I do not understand…He is not like Ikari, none of them are like Ikari…that is the difference._

Sanbud Tehrani sat in his entry plug, dressed in a light gray plug suit, peering around with a blank look on his face.

_Hmm…I wonder how far I could get with this Evangelion if I got disconnected from the power…Dammit, wouldn't it rock if I was like Super Saiyan or something? DBZ was an awesome pre-Impact show…Dude, if I was freaking Vegeta, I'd like go around and fly and stuff and shoot energy blasts at people and they'd be like, "Oh snap! I got destroyed!" and I'd be like, "Damn right, mothafunkah!"_

Gendo stared quietly at the readings on the screen at his desk.

"Tell me, Ritsuko, how is the new pilot's synch ratio?"

Ritsuko paused, gasping.

"Dear God, this is the highest synch ratio I've ever seen! This is impossible! He's higher than Shinji or Asuka combined! He's a golden god!"

A/N: Just kidding. Got you huh?  


Gendo peered at Ritsuko.

"Tell me the new pilot's synch ratio. Seriously."

Ritsuko nodded, looking at the readout.

"Hmm, he's not bad, higher than Rei's current ratio, she's been going down recently for some reason. Looking at his synch ratio history, I doubt he'll ever reach a high as high as the Third Child or Second Child, but on the other hand, his ratio is hardly as chaotic, it won't fluctuate too high, but it won't drop too easily either."

"Hmm. A good balance to the other pilots, perhaps, and if not, cannon fodder will be enough."

Ritsuko raised an eyebrow, nodding and moving away.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**The Streets**

Asuka groaned.

"Argh…Why couldn't that drunk give us a ride home? This stinks."

Shinji spoke for the first time in hours, his voice soft.

"She had to stay in there for a while more, too much paperwork."

Asuka eyed Sanbud warily as he walked alongside them and Rei.

"Yeah, because of a stupid new pilot…Why did we even order another one! I don't even need anyone to back me up…"

Suddenly Rei's voice wafted into the group's ears for the first time that day as well.

"Pilot Sohryu, the last angel was dispatched by Shinji alone…"

Asuka raised an eyebrow in shock, jumping, and Shinji indeed was surprised as well to hear Rei call him by his first name.

Sanbud just peered around, yawning.

_Oh, so she does talk, huh._

Shinji meanwhile tried to fight off his growing blush.

"Shut up doll! Why are you suddenly opening your mouth!"

Sanbud chuckled.

"Doll? Do you guys have pet names for each other or something? Can you call me 'honeycakes'? Or 'The Boss'?"

"Shut up, you idiot, I'm calling her a doll because she's nothing but a doll, all she does is follow her precious Commander's orders."

"She's…she's not a doll, Asuka, you know that?"

Asuka peered around in complete shock as she heard Shinji's kind but firm voice, completely and utterly surprised.

_He's…He's defending her! That doll?_

She growled and Shinji actually physically cowered, if only for a few seconds.

But nothing happened, she simply shouted at the group angrily as she sped off, most probably back to Misato's apartment.

"Oh, I get it now, you're all against me! You're all just a bunch of stupid idiots!"

Sanbud looked up absentmindedly as Asuka dashed off angrily in the distance and then nudged Shinji, who peered at him awkwardly.

"Psst, hey Third Child, I bet if you go and chase her down she'll have some sort of emotional breakdown and fall crying in your arms…you might even get a kiss, eh?"

Sanbud continued to nudge Shinji, who edged away from his elbowing and gave him a queer look.

"I…doubt that somehow."

"Alright then, I think I'll take your chance! Hah! And even if I don't get a crying girl in my arms I'll at least get good writing material! See you later!"

The Fifth Child quickly sped off towards where Asuka had run, leaving a trail of dust.

And then there were two.

Shinji peered at Rei awkwardly, blushing as she walked silently and listlessly beside him.

"Uh…Ayan-"

"You may call me Rei, Shinji. It is only appropriate that we cease the formality, or at least that is what Dr. Akagi said."

Shinji chuckled nervously.

"Uh…yeah…Rei."

And they continued walking, both in complete silence although there was a slight but warm smile on Shinji's face.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Misato's Apartment**

The Fifth Child groaned, as he leaned against the kitchen wall, completely out of breath after having followed a retreating Asuka back to Misato's apartment.

_If I can get my tape recorder there…Boy, maybe she'll have some weird moment or something or I'll get some good dramatic writing material…_

He steadied himself as he peered at the door to Asuka's room, which was open just a little bit, and made sure his tape recorder was in his breast pocket as well as a notepad with a pencil in his jeans.

Quickly pulling out a toothpick from his pocket, he stuck it in the corner of his mouth and then pulled out his lighter, lighting the end of the toothpick, letting it smoke at the corner of his mouth.

Knocking lightly against the door so that he seemed pilot and so that the door would seem to open by his knocking, he looked in.

Asuka was sprawled across the floor, her back shaking, obviously sobbing into her own pillow, apparently not hearing Tehrani enter.

He slowly stalked forward and tried to hold back his chuckles.

_Ahaha..ehehe…I don't know why I find people in pain or misery so…eheha...funny…_

Putting on his best patronizing smirk, he laid a warm hand on Asuka's shivering shoulder and spoke, trying to mask his impolite snickers with fake coughs.

"I'm…(snicker)...(cough) there for you…(cough)…(snicker)…Asuka…I'm there for you, I may not understand you, or know you for that matter, but I feel your pain."

Suddenly a soft voice.

"Oh…really? You want to feel my pain?"

And suddenly The Fifth Child felt that he probably shouldn't have tried this, at least not without some sort of heavy anti-personnel weapon.

* * *

**Twenty Minutes Later**

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Misato's Apartment**

Shinji Ikari strolled into the apartment, a beaming look on his face, a great happy smile that was rare from him.

He had walked Rei home, and although nothing else had been said or done, he felt comfortable with her in the silence and happy for her company.

He had expected some sort of furious attack on him by Asuka, or perhaps a drunken Misato asking for food, but when he had entered the apartment, he had been greeted by silence.

He peered around, uncomfortable, and unsure of what was going on.

_Wait…Could it really be possible that he really did get Asuka to cry in his arms? Or at least become his friend?_

Shinji suddenly felt a tinge of emptiness and heaviness in his chest that he could not explain, and a scowl growing on his face, not as expert-level as Asuka or Sanbud's scowling techniques, but a good rookie attempt nonetheless.

He slowly stalked forward towards the living room, and it was then he got the answer to his angsty and jealous questions.

The Fifth Child was sprawled on the floor with a lopsided grin on his face, along with a stream of blood flowing from some unseen wound on his head.

He groaned and shakily held a tape record into his mouth, not really noticing Shinji.

"I lie here, broken and battered, a lopsided grin on my face, after having encountered the best in German technology…Some sort of berserker or Viking woman, frightening really…Not to self, stay away from German or Japanese women, or for that matter any women from countries that were in the Axis during World War II…there's something about them…Especially the…ow…ow…ow…hybrids…Not to…argh."

He dropped the tape recorder, apparently asleep or exhausted, a broken toothpick in his mouth, smoke inexplicably rising from it.

His left eye suddenly opened and he noticed Shinji, who stumbled backwards in fear of the victim of Asuka's wrath.

"Don't ask…"

Shinji nodded and so did Sanbud, right before he passed off again, into dreams of giant robots, Mexicans, random violence, and flying zombie cars.

* * *

Good chapter? Weird chapter? Lame chapter? Well whatever…I liked it.

Well, I've finally decided, this will _definitely_ be a three-shot, next chapter shall be the last…I'm glad I split the one-shot up, it would've been a twenty one page one-shot, which would've been a pain in the arse.

Well, see you next chapter, for…THE FINAL CHAPTER! Dun…dun…Dun!


	3. Strange Fate

Well, hope you've enjoyed it so far…chances are, you haven't, sane people dislike SI fanfics by rule really, since the majority of them are totally unrealistic and retarded, and mine being a bit less retarded doesn't make much of a difference, I suppose…

Well, this is the final chapter, and I suppose my shorter, finished fanfics, like this and End of Evangelion: Darkness are fated to be less popular…

But hell, the ride was fun, I did enjoy being in the Evangelion universe…

Well, see you guys later, let's begin!

This last chapter is going to be quite long, I contemplated splitting it into two chapters, and making this a four chapter thing, but decided to just stick with my Three-Shot promise.

For those who've already seen this, I was trying to fiddle with it, add a link to the sequel and I accidentally deleted the entire goddamn thing sorry. :( I also promise to begin updating my billion fanfics. :)

Well, let's go!

Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion or its characters. Gainax does, and they rock. Who else could create both Evangelion and FLCL!

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Misato's Apartment**

Sanbud Tehrani groaned as he rose from bed, the multiple alarms he had placed within an inch of his head apparently doing the trick.

He peered up at the clock, noticing it was six AM and grinned.

His first day of school at Tokyo 3 was today, although it was still a bit early, he simply liked to get up early and type a bit on his laptop, collecting his writing notes.

Yawning, the Fifth Child opened the door to his room, expecting a quiet, silent living room.

And that was what he found, although he did not expect the Third Child to be an element of it.

Shinji Ikari was busily frying some sort of food, apparently in his own quiet little world of cooking, the smell wafting into the Fifth Child's nose as he slowly approached Ikari from behind.

"Hey Shinji! Cooking huh? No wonder Sohryu calls you housebroken, you should really strike or something, you know! Viva la revolution! Crush the bourgeois!"

Shinji let out a startled yelp as The Fifth Child's stream of words slammed into his ear, surprising him beyond belief, and spun around, peering at Tehrani.

"Ah, hope I didn't startle you or anything, huh?"

Shinji just nodded quietly, turning back to his cooking.

"It's alright, I just…like cooking…that's all."

The Fifth Child cocked his head, peering curiously at the Third Child.

"Yeah, yeah…I can see that…I myself am quite the cook as well…I can…uh…cook eggs, and make a mean grilled cheese sandwich. All by myself!"

The Third Child peered at Sanbud, apparently not processing the humor, and then turned back.

"Eheh…well, actually, not the latter I guess, I just like calling grilled cheese sandwiches 'mean'. So…"

There was an awkward silence between them, almost tangible, pushing the Fifth Child away and into a sitting position beside the dining table.

"So…tell me Shinji, I'm curious, what do you think of the other pilots, Rei and Asuka?"

Sanbud quickly made sure his tape recorder was on, and then turned back to the Third Child's back.

Shinji sighed, speaking quietly.

"Well…uh…Asuka's unique I suppose…they're both unique in their own way, and complete opposites really…I think I admire Asuka though, for her strength and pride…She's something I could never be…"

Sanbud nodded; standing and patting Shinji's shoulder in a faux paternal way.

"Indeed, indeed…well…"

They both stiffened as they heard two doors opening almost simultaneously, the two females of the apartment apparently awake.

"…Well, I won't play this for her, will I?"

Shinji turned quickly to the Fifth Child, his eyes wide.

"Play what?"

Sanbud pulled the tape recorder out of his breast pocket, pressing it, Shinji's voice wafting out from it, "…I admire Asuka…I admire Asuka…I admire…Asuka."

The Fifth Child flashed Shinji a mischievous grin as the young pilot actually tried to snatch the tape recorder away, his face utterly serious.

"No…No! You can't show her that, you can't, that's not fair!"

"What's not fair, Shinji?"

Misato's voice wafted almost venomously behind the Third Child, startling him for what would not be the last time that morning.

Shinji's eyes darted at her and then he breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that Asuka was in the shower.

"Nothing…nothing at-"

"I admire Asuka."

"Stop it!"

Shinji almost shouted at his own recorded voice, then stopped, staring at Misato with a growing blush as Sanbud seemed to be dancing around like a leprechaun, letting a delighted laugh out.

Misato smirked, poking Shinji in the side teasingly.

"Heh, I always knew you had a crush on her, eh? Huh?"

"Ohh Shinji, don't tell me you're her honeybunch? Sugar baby? Love kitten?"

"Love baby?"

Misato joined that line of teasing with a giggle as Shinji's blush deepened.

"Sugarbunch?"

Sanbud chuckled, continuing the teasing while making sure that he took the tape out of his recorder and replaced it with an identical but blank one.

Shinji seemed to be broiling within himself, his eyes actually frantically looking back and forth between Sanbud and Misato, his emotions about to explode or implode into themselves for that matter.

And right as Asuka Langley Sohryu opened the bathroom door, wrapped in a modest towel, a strangled shout came into her ears, making her blush, if only for a second or two before her mind devolved into rage.

"I AM NOT ASUKA'S HONEY KITTEN!"

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**Tokyo 3 Public School**

"He strolls towards her, the mysterious stranger in black, flashing the young freckled woman a charming grin. She seems to blush and then."

He stopped narrating into the tape recorder in his breast pocket as he got close enough for Hikari to hear, and gave her a little bow, which was really more of a nod.

"Class Representative Hikari, eh?"

"Uh…yes, you must be the new exchange student, Mr. Tehrani."

The Fifth Child gave her a flashy smile and patronizing thumbs up.

"You can call me Sanbud, Hikari."

Hikari nodded, raising an eyebrow at the odd new student and then shaking it all away on account of politeness, turning to the assembled class as the Fifth Child walked alongside her.

"Well, this is our new classmate, Sanbud Tehrani from America. Feel free to ask any questions you want after he makes his introduction, Sanbud."

The Fifth Child stared at the class, making sure to use his mysterious smile and his threatening glare for each different student.

"Why hello, I'm Sanbud Tehrani, revolutionary, writer, genius and madman. I hope I have a goodtime with you…people, and if not, I'll try to make the best of it…Any questions?"

"Ooooh! Have you written anything we might have read!"

"What do you mean, genius?"

"Or madman?"

"Or-"

These questions were cut off by a loud question from an otaku in glasses everyone knew as Kensuke Aida.

"Is it true you're the new Evangelion pilot!"

"Yeah, what type of Evangelion do you have!"

"What's it like?"

Sanbud smiled smugly, and cleared his throat, first checking to make sure his tape recorder is on.

"Well…I suppose I could tell you…"

Asuka and Shinji suddenly peered at Sanbud curiously, while Kensuke made sure he had a piece of paper and pencil with him. Unable to find such things in a classroom, he decided to use a pen to carve it into his skin.

"I pilot the Deathscythe Hell! It comes to me when I shout out 'Big D!'...I'm the energist to my robotic monster, so I power it, and when I'm inside, I transform into a blonde guy and activate Deathscythe's Super Saiyan alter power, 'Shell Bullet Gallic Gun!', which shoots out a giant trident at my opponents! With my robot, I will protect you all!"

All the girls seemed to blush while the guys seemed to clap in applause, while Kensuke Aida carved the paragraph up to "Super Saiyan" into his arm until Shinji told him to stop.

The Fifth Child smirked and took his seat, which was, painfully enough, directly between Shinji and Asuka.

_Goddamn karmic justice!_

Asuka sent a glare towards the Fifth Child, scowling.

"What was that crap you just told them, huh! Where'd that come from, telling them lies about yourself, you must not even know you Evangelion, idiot rookie!"

Asuka smiled, expecting a Shinjiesque apology, or at least a shiver or cower.

Instead the Fifth Child hung his head low, and then turned to Asuka, with almost tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry…It's just…my memory has been bad since…my mother went crazy and hung herself last year…"

Asuka's eyes widened in almost fear as Sanbud continued.

"And since my…father abandoned me and called me a weakling!"

Now it was Shinji's turn to look away in sympathy and depression.

The Fifth Child burst out of the room, these parental nightmares ripping apart his very soul, tears in his eyes as he ran out of the classroom in front of everyone.

Suddenly, all eyes fell on Asuka and Shinji, the girls giving threatening glares at Asuka, even Hikari, who shook her head disappointingly.

"Asuka Sohryu, I don't care what you said, but going as far as making him run out of the room like that! Come on Asuka, Shinji, let's go get that boy back!"

Asuka and Shinji nodded warily, although Shinji had no idea why he was coming, since he really wasn't at fault. However, Hikari had used her commanding tone, so there was really nothing he could do.

Meanwhile, Sanbud Tehrani stood down the hall and around the corner, well away from the classroom he had just run out of, giggling to himself.

_Ahahha…I'm so glad I sneaked a peak at their personal files when Misato wasn't looking…It was quite stupid of her to leave them in her briefcase and get wasted like that. Pity._

Sanbud turned around, yawning between chuckles, and looked at his watch.

_Hmmm, this is good material…They should be coming in approximately two minutes for the clichéd, chase-me-down-and-apologize shindig. Should be good, I better get read-_

The Fifth Child's cell phone interrupted his thoughts, and he picked it up absentmindedly, answering it.

"Oh hey, yeah, yeah, I'm fine mom…Yeah, well; I don't really feel like talking…Yeah, whatever…Yeah…"

He cocked his head, yawning as he listened to the cell phone.

"Yeah, sure, whatever dad-"

It was then he noticed that Asuka, Hikari, and Shinji were standing there, staring at him with wide eyes after apparently having listened in on his conversation for a few crucial seconds..

He peered at them, nervously chuckling, while continuing to talk to the cell phone, although he'd hung up, seconds before.

"Sure…whatever…um…sugar daddy?"

The Fifth Child realized that no such ploy would have any effect on the raging red-haired demon that was approaching him.

"Uh…I just…pretend to talk to my parents on my cell phone to heal my psychological woes! It's a Freudian thing, goddamit! AAAAH! OWW! GOD! OWW! Does this mean you don't love me anymo-OW!"

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**The Outskirts of Tokyo 3 Public School**

Shinji Ikari sighed, making his way down the steps of the school, alone, Asuka having gone off to talk to Hikari.

_What a day…The Fifth Child seems weird…although I guess Touji was right about all the chosen Children being really we-_

Shinji's mental thoughts were cut off by the agony of remember Touji, standing there before him, smiling, laughing, messing around, even when he'd first met him.

"_Sorry kid, but I had ta hit ya, I wouldn't have been satisfied without hittin' ya."_

"Hey kid, you lookin' for trouble!"

Shinji looked up, suddenly, startled by a real voice directed towards him for once, not some haunting specter's sound.

"Huh?"

In front of him was the well known basketball player and all around tyrant and bully of Tokyo 3 Public School, Tasumichi Oda

He was tall for his age, although he ruled the school simply through intimidation; everyone gave into his needs to avoid fighting with him. He'd supposedly sent more children to hospitals than the last three angels.

Shinji stumbled backwards, clearly afraid of the boy's threatening gaze. Perhaps when he had come to this city he would've stared at the bully apathetically and taken his fists with self-guilt and hate.

But things had changed; Shinji was a different person, albeit still gloomy and listless at times, his will to survive and avoid unneeded pain had increased. Perhaps his loss of apathy had made him more cowardly. Or maybe he was just overanalyzing.

He stumbled back a few more steps, looking at the silently advancing Oda.

"What-What do you want?"

Oda almost snarled, although Shinji stood his ground, surprisingly.

"What do I want? You think you're all high and mighty, just cuz you pilot those goddamn things? Well, you know what? You're nothing but a goddamn idiot, you m murderer!"

Shinji sighed, peering into Oda's gray, almost lifeless eyes, contrasting to his twitching, enraged face.

_It's another one…another victim…Another victim of mine…I probably stepped on his uncle, or let an angel burn his sister, or something like that…I deserve it, I suppose…_

Apparently, after all this time, not much had changed in Shinji's mental state and philosophy, although little change had great affect.

Suddenly as Oda's fist swooped towards Shinji's head, it was blocked by a forearm that came out of almost nowhere.

In front of Shinji Ikari, having intercepted the attack was the Fifth Child, Sanbud Tehrani.

Oda scowled.

"The new kid, what the hell do you want? I'll kick your ass too!"

Sanbud smiled, standing firm between Shinji Ikari and Oda.

"You won't lay a finger on this Child, do you understand!"

"Huh!"

"Although I am simply a mildly athletic writer, I shall rip you large bullies apart, because I have a fiery inner angst, rage and passion! RAUUUGH!"

Sanbud zoomed forward, an afterimage of him standing left because of his lightning speed, and launched a flying dropkick towards the bully's chest, sending him flying a good ten feet into a nearby tree.

Oda stood, groaning, blood dripping from his mouth.

"What the hell! I'll get you, how is that possible?"

Sanbud leapt under Oda's kick, sending a powerful punch into the bully's head, crushing his skull and knocking him out instantly.

The Fifth Child landed, sighing, suddenly his energy low.

"Why do I always…have to release my super…emo powers…I only hurt others…I've got to stop listening to Linkin Park."

A/N: Psyche.  


Sanbud smiled, standing firm between Shinji Ikari and Oda.

"Hey guys, what're you doing? Hopefully good writing material."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry guy, but Shinji here is one of my comrades, and I can't let you hurt him, just because I don't care about your loss, you reta-OOF"

Sanbud stumbled back from a direct punch to the face from Oda, and almost spun around, as if he were floating.

"Wow…that was pretty awesome…"

The other boys stared at the Fifth Child, utterly confused.

"Hey, do that again, it was a head trip…I mean seriously…Have you ever been punched? I mean, I've choked, and I'm sure you've punched, but have you ever been on the receiving end? It's pretty euphoric."

"What the hell are you-ARGH"

Oda crouched down to nurse the punch that Sanbud had given him to the head.

"See? Isn't it awesome? I'm serious, it's pretty cool in moderation."

"You little!"

"Come on, hit me as hard as you can, come on! I mean, I've got a pretty good pain resistance, so it just feels pretty cool, like I'm high or som-AAAAAAAAAAUGH!"

Sanbud felt absolutely no euphoria as Oda landed a direct hit kick to his groin.

The Fifth Child writhed awkwardly on the ground, nursing his Precious, groaning.

"Oh…you 'tard…You big fat 'tard…Why did you do that? I said punch me…goddamn…"

Suddenly the three boys were interrupted from their activities, Shinji staring dumbfounded, Sanbud laughing and groaning, and Oda utterly confused. They were all saved by the bell, figuratively, although it was more of a siren. The Angel Siren.

Seconds later, Oda was gone and the two remaining boy's stiffened as their cell phones rang simultaneously.

They looked in the direction of the Headquarters and then locked eyes, staring at each other silently, a mutual feeling of apprehension between them. For the first time since Shinji Ikari had met him, the Fifth Child actually seemed nervous.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, Control Room**

The four Children rushed in, clad in their plugsuits, Sanbud peering around the alien Control Room in his dark gray plugsuit, noticing the solemn gaze of Commander Ikari.

Misato Katsuragi peered down at the pilots, and then began speaking.

"The 14th Angel has appeared, it's approaching Tokyo 3 in approximately three minutes. Asuka, Rei, and Sanbud, you'll take the lead. Shinji, I'm sorry but…"

Shinji looked at Misato's gloomy face and then realized the problem, spinning around to meet the glaring gaze of Gendo Ikari.

"Sorry Shinji…but you know, after that last incident…your father's put your Evangelion on lock until he announces otherwise…"

Shinji seemed to sigh, although one couldn't be sure whether it was in disappointment or relief.

Asuka's piercing voice interrupted, almost cackling like a stereotypical warty witch.

"Hahah, don't worry Shinji, I guess I'll be taking care of this Angel, you're not really up for it."

Shinji seemed to mumble something indiscernible and turn away as the other three pilots made their way out of the Control Room and towards their Evangelions.

A hand stopped Sanbud before he could leave, however, and when the Fifth Child turned, his eyes met the gaze of Misato Katsuragi.

"Miss Katsuragi, what is it?"

"Ah, it's just that…it's a NERV regulation that before a pilot's first battle, they must enter in their will and testament, in case of…"

The Fifth Child nodded, their roles reversed, he almost like an adult comforting a child.

"I know, I know, Dr. Akagi informed me of the rule when I arrived and I wrote it up already."

Misato nodded thoughtfully as Sanbud handed her a folded piece of paper.

"Uh…thanks."

And with that the Fifth Child departed, jogging forward to catch up with Ayanami and Sohryu.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

Asuka stiffened within her entry plug, staring at the large creature that was approaching her red Evangelion.

A few blocks down, hidden behind a large building were Units 00 and 05, ready to supply backup the second the German pilot needed it.

_I don't need that damn idiot and that wonderdoll to help me, dammit! I'll take this thing myself! _

Suddenly the 14th Angel made itself visible, a great floating monstrosity that seemed to stare at Asuka, albeit without any visible eyes.

"Here it comes…I don't need Shinji to destroy these damn creatures…I can do this myself!"

She pulled out the large machine gun her Eva had been equipped with, firing a full round at the approaching Angel.

An invisible line around the creature rippled, but stood, the A.T. Field apparently stronger than Asuka had calculated.

"What! The A.T. Field should've been neutralized completely by now! I'll kill you!"

The German Child continued to fire and scream, even after the Angel's contracting almost paper-like arms had ripped apart Evangelion Unit 02, leaving it out of commission.

Sanbud almost gasped as he saw Asuka's Unit 02 collapse, feeling a bit of pity at the sight of a pretty girl being defeated.

_Hmm, I suppose I'm backup, preparing to enga-_

He was cut off as Unit 00 rushed forward almost instantly, armed with what looked like some sort of metal cylinder.

In fact, she didn't really seem to be using it like a weapon, instead holding it forward as she charged towards the Angel.

_What the hell? Could that be?_

_

* * *

_

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, Control Room**

Misato's eyes widened as she beheld the data screen in front of her, depicting Rei rushing forward with a N2 bomb cradled in her arms like a baby.

"Rei! Without a weapon? What are you-"

"Does she want to blow herself up?"

Gendo stood up quickly, startling the crew with his acting and the lines creased in his sweaty forehead.

"Rei!"

"She's going to use the N2 bomb as a weapon! She's going to blow herself up! Engage the plug ejection, now!"

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

The Fifth Child's eyes widened as he realized what Rei was charging with.

"What! I'm still down here, you bitch! I'm still down here! I don't want to die!"

Sanbud's eyes widened in disbelief, not sure if he should assault Unit 00 or retreat from the inevitable explosion at once.

He didn't have time to react as the huge bubble of heat slammed into him, sending his Evangelion flying backwards.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, Control Room**

The technicians stumbled backwards, some of them gasping and making strangling noises as the explosion shimmered on their screens, the data screens going black with static for a few seconds and then reappearing to show a demolished crater where Unit 00 had once been.

Misato spun around.

"What is the current status of the pilots!"

"They're all alive…Apparently the Fifth and Second Children managed to weather the explosion without much damage to their Evangelions. The First Child's plug was ejected in time, she's still alive, although communication is down…I believe Unit 00 has been destroyed."

"And the target?"

Misato's question was answered as the floating 14th loomed in front of their screens, apparently unharmed except for a thin layer of smoke and rubble resting on the Angel.

"Dammit…Sanbud, deploy against it, its A.T. Field must've been weakened by that! I think…"

The Fifth Child's wary face appeared on the screen in front of her, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth.

"You think?"

"Just go, just go, we don't have a choice, you know that! You can defeat it!"

Sanbud simply nodded and the screen went blank.

Shinji Ikari stood their, clenching and unclenching his fists.

_They're still suffering because of me…Asuka, Rei, Sanbud…everyone…Just because I can't pilot…and even if I do pilot, I'll still hurt other people…But, even if I hurt everyone…I need to protect…I realize…I need to protect those around me, when I can…regardless of the consequences._

The Third Child turned, staring determined directly at Gendo Ikari, whose face was unreadable as always.

"Let me pilot it, father!"

The Commander's face seemed to twist into an odd smirk.

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

The Fifth Child swore as he received the long metal spear that had been sent up to him by elevator, staring at it as his Evangelion lifted it up.

_Why do I pilot, anyway? I swore as a child…that if I ever found the chance…no, I swore that I WOULD find the chance, the chance to change the world in my image, the chance to destroy the world with a press of a button, I would do it unflinchingly. So why do I defend this wretched place now against these Angels? If I were to allow the Angels to win, wouldn't it just accomplish the goal I know I yearn for?_

Sanbud paused as his Evangelion landed in the approximate area that Misato had told him the Angel would arrive.

_But…maybe it's that I'd like to go down in infamy…I'd like to accomplish something horrible myself, not fail and allow someone or something else to do it…It's not God, or faith, the hell with that rubbish…Or maybe it's that I really do love this place, underneath all the misanthropy…No…no…It can't be…Can it? Do I really love the people around me?_

The Fifth Child sighed as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

_How disgusting._

In front of him floated the Angel, its paper-like arms suddenly unfolding and flying directly towards him.

He spun the spear around, deflecting the attack, and then charged forward, screaming at the top of his lungs, the weapon held aloft ready to pierce as he got closer and closer.

_I'LL_

The Angel retracted its arms swiftly, back into the folded position under what seemed like shoulders.

_KILL_

A shimmer of light surrounded the Angel for a split second and then disappeared as Unit 05 continued to charge, the A.T. Field unexplainably down.

_YO-_

A burst of light, and then a great pressure, slammed into Sanbud Tehrani's chest almost simultaneously as he slammed the spear into the Angel's core.

The great white beam sliced directly into Unit 05's chest, sending it flying backwards just as the spear plunged into the Angel's core, crushing it.

The Fifth Child's body shook, his eyes wide as humanely possible, his body shivering and stiffening, his hands palm up as they formed stiff claws.

He could not move, he could not see, all was darkness. But there was no pain, his body had released enough chemicals to make sure of that, the pain was so unbelievable that the Fifth Child never felt it.

The only thing that moved were his lips, dry, releasing an almost guttural sound, a human voice.

"Lord…help my poor soul…"

* * *

**Tokyo 3, Japan**

**NERV Headquarters, Control Room**

The entire Control Room was silent, and then burst into cheers and hoots as the target was identified as neutralized.

Gendo smirked; ignoring Shinji Ikari's shivering form.

Of course it had been a success, even if the Fifth Child had been "neutralized" as well, it had gone well, all things aside.

Misato Katsuragi turned away, her feelings of joy of the Angel's defeat suddenly falling into deep guilt as the small screen in front of her showed Evangelion Unit 05's mangled remains, a great hole in the Evangelion's black chest.

She turned away, clenching her fists, and in turn, her soul.

_War is war…War is hell…I can't think about things like this now…Maybe after this hell is done, I can try to give the Children the justice and life they deserve…They don't deserve to go through this at that age…But…But it is their duty, at their age we had to go through Second Impact…They…They have no excuse._

Misato dropped a small folded piece of paper and turned away to a rejoicing Control Room.

Asuka Langley Sohryu would heal, and then fall into chaos. Shinji Ikari would go on to be the savior and wretch of the world.

But as Aoba cowered in front of Lillith's manifestations, and as Shinji helplessly watched Asuka's mindrape, that piece of paper would lay there, unchanged and unread, a miserable testament to a forgotten soldier.

It read:

**A Young Man's Will**

Oh when I depart from this cruel place

Into the loving misery of death's cold embrace

Do not close my pale eyes, do not kiss my face.

Do not mourn my passing, the life that death devoured.

Not a single black garment, not one damned flower!

Not because I am "in a better place".

That is but a farce, life is but a waste.

A series of unending pain,

Interrupted by meaningless gain.

I am not bitter, I am not to blame.

Despise life's design, and the fragile human mind,

Binded so easily by the death throes of time.

Blinded so simply by death, you will find.

So do not bemoan me when I am felled.

For I'll be waiting for you all, at the gates of Hell!

* * *

By the way, my last words are the last words of Edgar Allan Poe…I just felt like throwing that in, ehehhe, it seemed fitting for me, and besides, the title of this fanfic is a…oh wait, it's a Mark Twain reference…Well, two great American writers.  And the poem that consists of the Fifth Child's will is written by me.

Hope you few who actually read this enjoyed it, I felt like actually making a good SI fanfic, which I may or may not have accomplish. But anyway, later, check out one of my many other fanfics.

Watch, as the story continues...h

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